PREP FOOTBALL : Game of the Week : Bishop Amat Stops No. 1 L.B. Poly

The battle lines were clearly drawn beforehand: Leonard Russell and Eric Bieniemy, two of the state’s best running backs, and Long Beach Poly and La Puente Bishop Amat, two of the state’s best teams, going head-to-head Friday night at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.

Afterward, the winners were also obvious.

Bieniemy and Bishop Amat.

Listed at 5-foot-10 but thought to be closer to 5-8 and somewhat of a question mark as a college prospect, Bieniemy rushed for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the eighth-ranked Lancers past No. 1 Long Beach Poly, 21-7.

Russell, who at 6-2 and 205 pounds is said to be one of the country’s best running backs, finished with 44 yards in 11 carries. Russell, had only 7 rushes after the Jackrabbits’ first possession and only 2 carries in the second half. Co-Coach Jerry Jaso said that Russell suffered a knee injury, but Jaso did not elaborate.

That the teams would manage only seven points by halftime with these two running backs was a mild surprise. An even bigger one for the Lancers was the role of Bieniemy’s supporting cast, specifically an unheralded left-handed quarterback and the other running back.

Junior J.R. Phillips was not named the starting quarterback for Bishop Amat until the week of the season opener against Riverside Rubidoux, and even then, first-year Coach Mark Paredes wasn’t exactly overconfident. But Phillips, with zip on his passes, was impressive Friday night, completing 6 of 11 attempts for 90 yards, with several others dropped.

The biggest completion was a 20-yarder over the middle on third and eight to Stephon Pace that put the Lancers at the Poly 26. After Bieniemy gained four, Phillips hit Mazio Royster for 11 yards, and Bieniemy finished off the drive with a high-stepping 11-yard dash up the middle for the score. Steve Clark’s extra point made it 7-0.

Royster’s role after the first two games had clearly been that of an understudy to Bieniemy, an All-Southern Section pick last year and the most valuable player from the Angelus League. But Royster, a 6-foot, 185-pound junior, had quietly put together a 6-yard-per-carry average in the Lancers’ wins over Rubidoux and L.A. Jordan, compared to a 7.1-yard average for Bieniemy.

Against Long Beach Poly--still one of the best defensive teams despite the loss of eight starters off the 1985 Big Five Conference co-champion--he had just 27 yards at halftime, but that was enough to keep the Jackrabbits from keying on Bieniemy. Then, Royster gained 31 yards on his first carry of the second half, giving him 58 for the game.

He ended the third quarter with 59, compared to 68 for Bieniemy. Phillips had 107 yards passing at that point.

Russell, meanwhile, had managed only 38 yards in 10 carries, and sophomore quarterback Michael Carter was the only other Jackrabbit to have run the ball. That was for just three yards by the start of the fourth quarter.

This was against a Bishop Amat defense that returned only two starters from last season. With that in mind, one wonders what might be in store for Poly next week against the top-rated team in the state, Wilmington Banning.